Utsanga is an online journal for experimental writing and theory, based in Italy. The journal’s nineteenth issue, the first of 2019, was released today (March 31) with a who’s who of contributors from the international avant lit scene, including Francesco Aprile, Tim Gaze, Mark Young, Rosaire Appel, John M. Bennett, and many others. Well worth checking out. I’m very pleased to have been included this time with a selection of four pieces of asemic calligraphy. You can check them out here.
Today, online literary journal Oddball Magazine published my poem “Leaning into the Fan.” There’s a sample below, or you can read the full text here.
Today, online poetry journal Mad Swirl published my poem “Satisfy the Moonbeams” in their poetry forum. You can read the full piece here.
Bucky’s new Gonch language message for y’all.
The New Post-literate: A Gallery of Asemic Writing is a weblog exploring “asemic writing in relation to post-literate culture.” Scan its entries to find a massive catalog of imaginary scripts and pseudo-writing from around the world. Ultimately, these are scripts or images that look like writing, but have no semantic content. For me, the pieces have the same mysterious pull of looking at lost languages like Linear B, Harappan characters, or Easter Island’s rongorongo script, or even deciphered ones like Ancient Egyptian or Mayan hieroglyphs.
Today, the NP-L published five of my asemic writing pieces, which I made using a brush and India ink back in November 2017. I’m calling them “poems” but they could be prose poems, short stories, or grocery lists. Ultimately, it’s a type of visual poetry. You can check out the pieces here.
Bucky’s back with another Gonch language message to the world.
Here’s an experiment in poetry publishing that’s new to me. The idea was planted by fellow DC poet Buck Downs, who’s been regularly sending out postcard poems for years. At just three lines, the title piece from the Civilization’s Lost series–poems based around lost cities and civilizations to highlight the fragility of languages, cultures and nations–seemed perfect for this. I ordered a custom rubber stamp to imprint the faces of old postcards, some I made from paperback book covers or record jackets. Been sending these to literary journals, poets, mail artists and friends, as long as I have a snail mail address.
Today, outlaw poetry magazine Ramingo’s Porch published five of my poems: “Rabbit Toilet Fantasy,” “The Desperate Ones,” “Another Hit for History,” “Plastic Surgeon Voyeur,” and “Bag of Bones.” You can read them here.
I didn’t actually intend to get published in this journal so soon after the last time; it’s a happy accident. I thought I was submitting to their special print issue with the the theme “Sex.” So I rounded up the dirtiest pieces I had and sent them in. Turns out that “Sex Issue” was released last month, and its deadline closed last August! It’s available on Amazon.
It may be worth noting that “Rabbit Toilet Fantasy,” partially seen below, is written from the perspective of the trickster rabbit character that showed up in a few poems. “The Desperate Ones” features Casanova as a character.
Washington, DC’s turntable orchestra Stylus played a memorial concert honoring circuit bender, multi-instrumentalist and founding member Keith Sinzinger on February 1, 2019, at RhizomeDC. Group director Jim Adams composed another score based on Morse code, called “And All Thy Joy and Sorrow Shall Never Pass Away,” which was performed by four turntablists using Califone turntables and copies of the District of Noise loop LP marked for Keith’s solo tracks. Turntablists for this incarnation of Stylus were Jim Adams, Chris Videll, RA Martini, and myself. Steve Sanford made a live digital recording of the piece, which Jim posted to his BLK w/Bear SoundCloud account. You can listen to it here.
Yesterday, online literary journal Soft Cartel published three of my poems: “Zero Is Gone,” “Lift Up Surrender,” and “Hamburger Joy.” You can read them here.
jeff bagato 